Generation Anthropocene, a weekly podcast from Stanford University, provides interviews about the Anthropocene from social, scientific, economic, and moral perspectives.  As environmental philosophers have long talked about moral and philosophical issues surrounding the increasing humanization of the globe, ISEE hopes the folks at Stanford will soon invite an environmental philosopher to weigh in on the issues.

The following podcasts are now available.

Introduction to Series
We highly recommend you have a listen to our compilation piece to get acquainted with our contributors and the wide range of topics covered in the more intimate one-on-one interviews.

 

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Richard White (environmental historian): Richard White addresses the (mis)perceptions of the natural world, the ambiguities surrounding the Anthropocene boundary, and his approach to environmental history.

 

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Terry Root (biologist): Terry Root talks about her approach to bio-diversity loss, earth science communication, and the far-reaching impacts of humankind in our most emotional interview to date.

 

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Jon Payne (paleobiologist/geologist): Jon Payne discusses Earth’s previous mass extinctions including his work on the largest extinction in Earth’s history, how geologists define boundaries, our current understanding of deep time, and how geologists view the Anthropocene debate.

 

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Christopher Gardner (nutritionist): Christopher Gardner discusses the relations of food and society, the modern food movement, and a variety of compelling reasons for rethinking the way we eat in one of our more uplifting conversations.

 

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Bill Durham (human ecologist): Bill Durham discusses his career trajectory including his work in the Galapagos Islands, issues surrounding the new field of eco-tourism, and how a mishap with a lawn mower started his life’s work.

 

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Jon Christensen (environmental historian): Jon Christensen discusses the mythos of the American frontier and some of his unique approaches to history.  Christensen also gazes to the future and makes an interesting case for a placement of the Anthropocene boundary.

 

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Rodolfo Dirzo (tropical evolutionary biologist): Rodolfo Dirzo discusses the importance of biological diversity, his connection to the Anthropocene, and his work in Central and South America in one of our most spirited conversations.

 

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Doug Bird (anthropologist): Doug Bird discusses his work with the native Martu peoples of Australia, their perceptions of environment, the history of landscape modification in the remote and harsh Western dessert, and how the spread of homo sapiens relates to the Anthropocene.

 

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Sally Benson (director GCEP): Sally Benson talks about the goals and recent accomplishments of Stanford’s Global Climate and Energy Project (GCEP), the need to partner with industry, the hopeful signs of alternative energy development, and how her upbringing informed her sense of justice and optimism.

 

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Gil Masters (environmental engineer): Gil Masters highlights the importance of buildings in shaping our energy demands and explores the potential of energy efficiency while offering fresh and practical solutions to the energy and climate crisis.

 

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Patrick Archie (agricultural ecologist): Patrick Archie reflects on the social justice of food, the evolution of his profession, and his vision for community development as it relates to food systems.

 

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Leonard Ortolano (environmental engineer): Leonard Ortolano reflects on his professional trajectory and how environmentalism has guided water resource planning, gives us a brief history of US environmental assessment work, and explores the complexity of water as it relates to climate change.